1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates primarily to portable enclosures and particularly to portable enclosures used for shower and dressing areas in recreational settings.
2. Description of Prior Art
Portable enclosures and similar tent-like structures have long been known, including cases where the structures are used primarily for shower and dressing purposes. Most of the known structures were designed prior to the advent of the recreational vehicle and camping activity now popular with the general public. Therefore, most of the prior structures while being technically portable and consisting of various pole and canvas arrangements were awkward to erect and somewhat bulky to store once they were dismantled. Many of the structures were designed to be semi-permanent structures to be erected upon, for instance a beach where the structure would be removed at the end of a summer season and were not designed to be erected and dismantled on a daily basis.
A limiting feature of many of the former structures resided in the fact that many of the support members were required to be driven into the ground so the structure would be stable from exterior forces such as the wind. Some prior art structures required guy wires and stakes to ensure stability. These features had some distinct disadvantages. First, the structure would necessarily require a rather level surface on which to be erected, since a sloping grade would cause the support structure to lean and become unstable corresponding to the grade of the terrain. Secondly, since some of the supporting members would need to be driven into the ground, it became necessary to locate the structure or enclosure in an area where the ground was relatively soft and would preclude erection in rocky areas or in areas consisting of a concrete or asphalt base such as might be found in park areas in certain cases. Finally, the act of driving stakes, posts, or stringing guy wires is time-consuming and difficult for many individuals attempting to erect such an enclosure.
Additionally, a review of the portable tent-like structures in the prior art will show that many of the structures were complex in design and time consuming to erect reflecting to some extent the intention that many of these structures, once erected, would not be dismantled on a daily basis. On the contrary, present day recreational vehicle and camping markets comprise a highly transient population which frequently moves from place to place on a daily basis and requires that the portable enclosures be erected, dismantled and stored in a matter of minutes.